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Two of the six had loaned "tens of millions Thai baht" to another of the deceased for investment purposes, authorities said.

He was due to be charged with bringing a controlled wild animal into public places, which carries jail time of up to six months and a fine of 50,000 baht.

But weighed down by the “many hundred thousand bahts’ worth of debt” from both his wife’s family and his, he sees no other way out.

Actual investment in the EEC is now about 75 billion baht a year, Phumtham said.

Only a few Asian currencies, such as the Indian rupee, Thai baht, and South Korean won were expected to recoup their losses by late 2024.